


Decurro Astrum: To Sail The Stars

by limerence



Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-10-15
Updated: 2010-10-15
Packaged: 2017-10-12 16:42:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,472
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/126938
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/limerence/pseuds/limerence
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set post-Continuum - season 13? Daniel finally has the time to devote to an extended exploration, with the added bonus of Jack. What they discover will rock both their worlds.</p><p>Written for the 2009 JD Ficathon.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A face in the clouds

The office was quiet. A clock ticked softly in the corner shelf of a bookcase, hypnotising the occupant into a daydream. He wasn’t here, buried under a mountain, the distant murmurs of his colleagues down the hall competing with the hiss of air conditioning: a comforting drone of normalcy. He was _there_ , studying, learning, practically rolling in the wealth of new knowledge. He was exploring, going where no being had gone for thousands of years. Bliss.

“Hey!”

Daniel started so badly he slid off his stool and banged his shin on the desk leg. “Hey,” was his automatic response. “Ow. Dammit. Wha—Jack?” He peered at the reflection in his monitor, only then realising it had given up waiting for him and gone to sleep some time ago. “What are you doing here?”

“Nice to see you too.” Jack ambled into the room, hands stuffed in his pockets, as comfortable here as he’d ever been.

Daniel got his butt back where it should be and scowled. “What are you wearing?”

“Woodland camo. It’s all the rage.”

“Uh…” His eyebrows were inching up his forehead. He pulled them back into a scowl. “What _are_ you doing here?” He tried not to sound suspicious, but Jack suddenly appearing – thousands of miles from where he was supposed to be – and looking all innocent were immediate grounds for suspicion.

“Hank needed a consult,” Jack replied airily.

“So you flew all the way…”

“Yep.”

“Consultation about what?”

“You.”

“Me?”

“Yep.”

Disappointment filled him: a sudden bitter surge that was – annoyingly – all too familiar. His request was denied and Landry thought he’d take it better coming from Jack. It was Atlantis all over again, in every way. He’d put in the hard work, made the discovery and now was being denied the pay off. Well, he would fight this. He could argue for the planet, and he’d be damned if he stood by, placated by assurances that he was too valuable to risk, that he was needed here, there, anywhere but where he wanted to be, and watch someone else go out and…

Odd.

Jack had started with that sympathetic expression on his face but now it was morphing into a little bit of a grin.

Brown eyes twinkled at him. “So.” Jack slapped a hand down on the workbench, making Daniel jump. “Ready to go?”

“What? Where?”

“Where? Daniel! Where you’ve been planning, scheming, begging Landry to let you go for weeks.”

“I didn’t beg,” he shot back. Although…

“Your wonder city. The big discovery. The thing you’ve been obsessed with for three months.”

“I—” His thoughts were as scrambled as one of Mitchell’s down-home analogies. Surely Jack didn’t mean… No. But the grin was all over Jack’s face now, like he’d found the perfect birthday present and was enjoying watching it be unwrapped.

Jack bobbed his eyebrows at him, willing him to get the clue.

“I can go?” Daniel croaked over a sudden tightness in his throat.

“Youbetcha.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

“Um.” He needed to sit down. Oh. He was. Huh. He was completely flummoxed. He’d wanted it, fought for it, yet deep down he’d believed he’d never be allowed.

“So, you ready?”

“Ready?” He couldn’t get past the parroting. Daniel peered at Jack, blinked a couple of times to bring him into focus.

“Packed? Work finished off? House closed up?”

Daniel stared at Jack: he was fully kitted out in camo, vest, boots, zat, knife, the works. And behind him two very fat kit bags lay in the doorway.

“Uh…” His brain was still in process mode, so he let his mouth do what it wanted. “Yes. Packed. Finished. Closed.”

“Great. Let’s go. I booked our departure for 1200 so we’ll arrive in time for lunch. Gives us thirty minutes to say our farewells.”

“Go?” Daniel echoed. “You’re coming with me?”

“Wouldn’t miss it!”

“But, what about Washington?”

“Daniel, do you know how much leave I have owing?”

“No.”

“Plenty. I haven’t managed to escape this place in years, and I don’t even work here anymore. In fact,” Jack picked up a little statue of the Palchakan god Achnee and grimaced at it, “I haven’t had a vacation since Teal'c and I went fishing up at the cabin, and we all know how relaxing that turned out.”

“And you think coming with me on an extended archaeological mission will be relaxing?” Daniel batted his eyelashes at Jack.

“Oh yeah.” Jack couldn’t control the grin now. He headed for the door. “Twenty-five minutes, Daniel.” He picked up his bags and strode off, whistling his way down the corridor.

Daniel sat frozen for a moment. This was it. He was getting what he wanted, and so much more. He leapt into action: shut off the computer, grabbed his pack and two of the four crates he’d prepared as a kind of karmic wish, and staggered after Jack.

Halfway down the hall he met Siler pushing a hand cart. “General O'Neill said you might have some luggage, Doctor Jackson?”

Barely able to control his spreading smile, Daniel offloaded and directed the sergeant to the rest of his gear. He dodged around Siler and dashed down the corridor, paused to stick his head in the main anthro/archaeo/linguistic lab and yell goodbye to his team – and raced off before they could pin him down with the ‘just a question before you go’ that he could see forming on half a dozen faces. They’d get along fine without him, and Nyan could handle most problems that came their way.

The elevator was too slow so he raced down seven flights of stairs, along two corridors and into SG-1’s gear-up room. He slid to a halt by the bench next to his locker. His – woodland – camo was neatly laid out for him, from jacket to the boots under the bench.

“How long has he been here, anyway?” he asked his surprised reflection in the mirror. Never one to look a gift-general in the mouth, he stripped, flung his blues into the bottom of the locker, dressed and was out the door.

He moved as fast as he could without breaking too many regs, and had to duck around SG-2 returning from a mission.

“Hey, Daniel! Have fun with the general,” Ferretti called after him.

“Wait… you knew?” Daniel did a three-sixty, caught a glimpse of Lou’s amused face, completed the turn and kept going.

Up to 21 to the infirmary. Doctor Lam was standing there waiting for him, a small med kit dangling from her hand. “Three months’ supply of allergy meds.”

“I—uh—thanks, Caroline.” _Apparently_ _today was just not the day for coherent sentences._

“Anything I need to be aware of since your last physical?”

“No,” he said honestly. He’d had checkups every time he’d come back from the city, and was uniformly fine.

She handed him the kit. “Have fun, Daniel.”

Colonel Reynolds wished him luck in the elevator, Lieutenant Watkins yelled ‘bon voyage’ as he sped down corridor C, Walter’s call of ‘everything is ready, Doctor Jackson’ followed him past the control room, and Master Sergeant Emily Fox gave him a big wink as she handed over his pistol, knife and P90 by the open C2 blast door.

Daniel walked slowly into the Gateroom, trying not to appear out of breath. Sergeant Siler was strapping down his gear to the second of two heavily laden FREDs. At the ramp’s base Landry stood talking to Jack, whose fingers curled loosely around his weapon, as at ease as if he’d never been away from active duty. They both greeted Daniel with a smile.

“I was the only one who didn’t know, right?” he asked conversationally.

“Jack seemed to think you’d appreciate the surprise, Doctor Jackson,” Landry said. “Personally, I never thought twice about green-lighting this mission, but we’ll certainly miss you around here.”

“Thank you, general. I’m sure the benefits—”

“Will be more than we can anticipate,” Landry finished for him. “I think Jack’s in a hurry for his lunch. Dial her up, Walter,” he called up to the control room.

Daniel felt his heart quicken as the ‘gate began to spin. _This is it._ It felt very weird to be going on a mission not only with _Jack,_ but without the rest of their team. Sam was off on the _Hammond_ _,_ Teal'c had taken leave to spend time with Ishta, Ry’ac and his growing family – two grandchildren and counting – and Vala and Mitchell had left yesterday on a mission with SG-17. They and Teal'c had accompanied him on three of the initial missions to the city.

The Stargate engaged; the wormhole billowed out, welcoming Daniel to a whole new adventure.

“Good luck, Doctor Jackson,” Landry said. “Jack – enjoy the fishing.”

“Thanks, Hank.” Jack picked up a long pole bag. “Coming Daniel?”

“Jack…” He stared at the bag.

“It’s not about the _fish_ , Daniel.”

“Here you go, Doctor Jackson.” Siler handed him the controllers for the FREDs, which were already rumbling up the ramp.

“Thank you.”

Jack was standing on the ramp, waiting for him. Daniel joined him, confusion pushed aside in a surge of excitement. Together, they stepped into the Stargate.

 

The city was exactly how it had been the five previous times Daniel had journeyed here. Bright sunlight filtered down on them from the beautiful stained-glass windows at the head of the staircase to their right, sending shards of colour across the banks of consoles up on the mezzanine floor. Open windows, which would cycle shut when the temperature dropped below seventy degrees, allowed fresh air to flow through the large room, over the Stargate and out onto the balconies behind them.

Daniel steered the FREDs to one side, then stood and just let himself absorb the moment. Through the numerous missions, first discovering then exploring the city, he’d always felt welcome upon arriving and when their time expired and he had to leave, it had been wrenching, as if he was leaving part of himself behind. Now—now he felt as if he had come home.

“Y’know, I’m getting that déjà vu feeling all over again.” Jack wandered across the open space, gun in one hand, fishing pole in the other. A beam of sunlight sparkled the silver in his hair and made him appear ten years younger.

Daniel felt a surge of fondness for Jack. “Thank you for coming here with me.”

Jack gave him one of those penetrating, assessing looks: from the top of his head to the tip of his boots, taking in all parts in between. “Well, how could I not? After all,” he swept his arm out in a flourish at the Stargate just as the wormhole disengaged. Revealed behind the ‘gate was a banner, hanging from the mezzanine banister. Written in a familiar hand and decorated with little pictures of clouds and flowers, it declared this city was ‘Daniel Disneyland’.

Daniel laughed, surprised and flattered that his friends had gone to such lengths. “Mitchell. And the flowers have to be Vala’s. How… when did they…?”

“I believe they took a little detour on their mission yesterday.”

“Wow. Well, it’s very apt. Cameron was right, Atlantis and,” he turned in circles, arms outstretched to encompass the beautiful room that was an exact mirror of Atlantis’ embarkation room, “this city are… I don’t know how to say it, Jack, but I feel connected to something here. This is a place I should be.”

Jack stared at him thoughtfully. “The moment when I arrived on Atlantis, the first thought I had was, Daniel ought to be here. Not just there for that mission, which by the way I’m glad you weren’t, but there permanently.” He dropped his gaze. “I’m sorry I didn’t let you go with Weir and the first expedition.”

“You had your reasons. And, I don’t know, but somehow I think that’s how events were meant to happen. I’m here now, in another Ancient city, a partial replica of Atlantis. This is the right place for me, and the right time to be here.” Daniel didn’t hide the affection in his voice. “And you’re the right person to be by my side.”

Jack’s cheeks creased in a smile. “I believe it’s time for lunch. And look! A gift basket.”

 

Sure enough, a large basket covered with a red checked cloth sat on the bottom step.

“I smell pie, Daniel.” Jack lifted the cloth and poked through the contents. “And, call it a hunch, but I think _that_ is for you.” He indicated an orange and white pile of fluff at the top of the stairs.

Daniel blinked. He ascended the steps and picked up the toy giraffe. “Gerald. I gave him to Vala. When she returned from the Ori galaxy she had difficulty sleeping. She took it everywhere, even on missions.” He stroked the toy’s head, amazed that Vala had parted with it, and touched that she thought it might help him here on lonely nights.

“She cares a lot about you.”

“Yes. Yes, she does.” He gazed down at Jack. “I could have very easily fallen in love with her.” The knowing smile on Jack’s face warmed his heart. “If I hadn’t already been completely, passionately, in love with you.”

Jack walked up the stairs to him. Their mouths met in a tender kiss.

“I love you too. Now can we have lunch?”

Daniel stole another kiss. “Don’t you want to, you know, check the perimeter or something?”

Jack groped his ass. “Feels fine to me.”

He snorted a laugh and wrapped his arms around Jack’s neck.

“Besides,” Jack said in his ear. “SG-2 did a five hour sweep of the tower this morning.”

“Lou did that? You think of everything, Jack.”

“Including lunch. Come on.” Jack caught his hand, tugged him across a walkway and out onto a balcony. “I have to admit, Daniel, you do find the nicest places.”

Brilliant violet-tinged sky greeted them: a vast arcing bowl studded with puffs of white cloud. They walked to the rail and looked down.

“Gonna need a longer pole,” Jack mused.

For this was the main difference between this city and Atlantis: their city floated not on the sea, but through the air, some ten thousand feet above land and sea. The six piers were the same as Atlantis’ but the only structures were the main and several smaller towers in the centre. A yellow pulse of energy was visible around the base of the city and a faint shimmer overhead indicated the atmospheric shield was operating properly. Far below lay the planet, a green and brown landmass and vast swathes of ocean, both of which teemed with life: from miniscule bacteria to mega fauna. The data they had already collected from the city’s sensors would keep the zoology and botany departments at the SGC busy for years.

“Your pole’s just fine as it is,” Daniel said absently, his mind definitely not on fishing.

 

 

They spent the rest of the daylight hours exploring the city. They wandered along hallways decorated in elegant bronze and green, lined with bubbling light-filled pillars; through echoing rooms that could accommodate hundreds, and intimate nooks where lovers could dally and appreciate the scenery. They tried out several of those.

Three floors down the accommodations were many and varied. Eventually they chose a suite of two bedrooms with a large sitting room between. They unpacked their personal gear into each room and tested out the bed in the room they chose for sleeping. Their bedroom featured a wide balcony from which they could look down between two of the piers to the planet far below.

After the dinner Jack cooked in one of the kitchens, they returned to their balcony. Daniel was pleased to see Jack had swiftly relaxed, stowing his weapons by the suite’s door and even shedding his jacket and boots. They were completely secure here: the city’s defensive systems were working perfectly and the sensors would alert them to any intrusion.

Jack padded up behind him – stealth-sock mode – and wound his arms around Daniel’s waist. Daniel leaned back into him and sighed contentedly.

“Whoa. Honkin’ big fish they have here.” Jack peered over his shoulder at the pod of whale-like creatures breaching and swimming below.

“They must be twice, three times the size of Earth’s whales.” Daniel shivered as Jack’s fingers roamed under his t-shirt and up over his nipples. Yearning for more, he let Jack pull the t-shirt off and then returned the favour.

“Jack…” he whispered. They kissed deeply, exploring each other’s mouths.

“C’mon. Come to bed. I need you.” Jack drew him back into the room, shedding the rest of their clothes as they went. He fell onto the bed and Daniel dropped on top of him, swallowing Jack’s “Oof” with a hearty kiss.

The familiar glide of flesh against flesh, the strength in Jack’s arms as they held him tight: Daniel absorbed the taste and scent of Jack. Some time later, Jack moved to lie on top of him, but Daniel resisted in a brief mock tussle. He wound his fingers between Jack’s, pressed him firmly to the bed and straddled his hips.

When Jack entered him he felt a frisson ignite his nerves and race up his spine, spreading out to every part of his body. Daniel gasped, sure he could feel his hair stand on end. He met Jack’s eyes, which were wide with interest.

“Danny?”

“Jack…” He lost the power to speak as wave after wave of sensation poured through his body and lit his soul. He could see Jack was experiencing something similar: even his hair appeared to be glowing.

They came in unison, between one heartbeat and the next. Daniel collapsed into Jack’s arms, and surrendered to sleep.

 

Next morning Daniel and Jack began what quickly became their daily routine. A morning run around a couple of the enormous piers, at first keeping well clear of the edges, then getting closer and closer, daring each other to run along the raised border until Jack yanked Daniel away to safety.

“I’m not going to fall,” he protested.

“Yeah, that’s what they all say, then it’s nothing but tears and tomato sauce.” Jack’s fingers gripped the waistband of his shorts and he wasn’t letting go.

“Idiot.” He patted Jack’s cheek fondly. “Besides, if we did slip the shield would probably stop our fall.”

“And how, pray tell, would you get back up here?”

“Um…”

Jack hauled him back to the central tower for a joint shower in an open tiled room that could have catered for twenty people, with another balcony that was perfect for Jack’s new-found hobby of exhibitionism.

“Good thing we don’t have any neighbours,” Daniel remarked, admiring Jack’s ass.

Jack wiggled his butt and gave up flashing the birds. “Time for breakfast.”

There were several kitchens in the tower, which could provide for hundreds. They chose a small one attached to a dining room with an arched stained glass ceiling.

Then it was off to work. Daniel set up his computer, cameras, recorders, notebooks and tools in the room that had captured his attention on the first exploratory mission. On the very top level, in the highest tower of the city, a perfectly round room sat under a clear dome. The dome reached right down to the floor, its glass – or whatever the super strong Ancient equivalent of glass was called – was perfectly clear, giving unimpeded views of the city, the sky and the planet.

“Holy…” Jack paused at the head of the steps set into the floor, the only way in or out.

“Yeah, it’s pretty magnificent, isn’t it?” For some absurd reason Daniel really wanted Jack to like this place, to appreciate its uniqueness and beauty. To be touched by it, the way it had touched him.

Jack cautiously inched near the wall, looked down and backed away. “How does this not affect you?”

“Yeah, it’s weird. I thought I’d get the mother of all vertigo attacks when I first found it, but so far, nothing.”

Jack looked at him and shook his head. “It’s beautiful, Daniel.”

“Thank you. Uh, yes, and wait till you see this.” He walked over to a crystal mound, only six inches wide, set into the floor. It was one of many circling the room and they were the room’s only features. He waved his hand over the top of it.

A pillar of solid crystal rose up out of the floor. Glancing at Jack to gauge his reaction, he passed his hand over the carved apex. A fountain of green light shot up, spread over the dome and settled into the familiar script of the Ancients.

Jack craned his head up, over, behind, taking in the vast amount of information arcing over him. “That’s impressive.”

“Yes. It works like the device on Ernest’s Heliopolis.” Daniel waved his hand over the pillar again, turning the page to produce another surge of script.

“And how many pages does each pillar hold?”

“I don’t know. I’ve been concentrating on this one each time I came here and I haven’t come to the end of the book yet.”

“And there are…?”

“Twenty.”

“Twenty books.”

“You can see why I asked for an indefinite time on this mission.”

Jack shook his head in wonder. “Daniel Disneyland is right.”

 

Daniel began to spend hours engaged in the painstaking effort of transcribing and translating the wealth of knowledge archived in the pillars. Beginning with the first page of each pillar, he worked his way around the room, cataloguing their subject matter. One third was devoted to the sciences, in what appeared to be every branch possible. Five were filled with histories of the Ancients’ race, and the remainder bore the personal histories of uncounted individuals.

Jack was always close by, either exploring the rooms directly under the dome or in the dome with Daniel, catnapping against the wall, playing I-spy with a pair of binoculars or helping with the translations. Much to Daniel’s delight, Jack’s grasp of the Latin-like dialect was as keen as ever.

Each day ended with dinner and a stroll in the sunset, either along interconnected balconies or down on one of the piers. Tired but energised by the magic of the city, the constant excitement of discovery and the joy of being in each other’s company, they returned to their bedroom and lost themselves in their love for each other.

 

After four weeks, Jack had lost the extra Washington pounds and was lean and brown and bursting with health. Daniel was having a hard time keeping his eyes – and hands – off him.

“So, Daniel. What have we learned today?”

Daniel jumped. He’d been watching Jack: long legs stretched out, snoozing in a shaft of sunlight streaming between two blocks of script currently on the dome. Obviously not sleeping.

“You look younger like that. Must be the…” He trailed off and blushed a little. “Sunlight. Or something.”

“Or something.” Jack gave him a well-practiced leer. “You don’t look so bad yourself.”

“Probably because nobody’s shot at us for a while.”

“You were muttering to yourself. Found anything?”

 _I really do love you._ “Huh? Oh, yes. The name of the city.”

“Let me guess—”

“No, actually it’s Nimbi Prophetiea.”

Jack pursed his lips. “Cloud Singer?”

“Essentially, yes.”

“Nice. I like it.”

“It does have a certain ring to it.”

“Well, time to head down. Don’t forget we have company coming tomorrow.”

“Mmmhmm. Hope Teal'c comes with them this time.” Daniel gathered up his notebooks and turned off the pillar display, thankful the device had a memory and would return him to the last page displayed. Seeing he was now up to page 48… He bent to pick up a pencil that had rolled into the wall.

A group of markings caught his eye. Getting down on hands and knees, he peered closely. Tiny cuts had been carved in the crystal wall, about a foot up from the floor. He ran his fingertips over them, surprised to find the markings smooth.

“What is it?” Jack knelt beside him, one hand resting on Daniel’s back which sent a delicious tingle over his skin.

“Looks like someone has scratched the dome.”

“Ancient graffiti? Somehow I’d expected them to be above the whole _Foo Was Here_ shtick.”

“Give me your knife.”

Jack handed it over. Daniel selected a piece of wall right by floor level and tried to make a scratch on the surface. It had no affect at all.

“Whatever they used, it wasn’t metal.” He angled his head, trying to decipher the markings. He leaned into Jack and nudged him with hip and shoulder until they both shuffled over. “If I can get the light behind it… Bit further… just… there. It’s a drawing, a woman, and there’s writing underneath… is it— Oh, god!”

Fright speared through him: irrationality powered by the impossible. He jerked back, fell onto his butt and scooted backwards until arrested by the open stairwell.

“What? Jack was on his feet, gun drawn, gaze darting everywhere for a threat.

Daniel’s heart was hammering so hard he could barely draw breath. He couldn’t tear his eyes away from the word etched in the dome. The sinking sun bent its rays to shine on the etchings, illuminating the unthinkable word with increasing clarity.

“Daniel!” Jack’s voice snapped him back to awareness.

“No—there’s no danger, Jack. Sorry. Just… it shouldn’t be there.” _Can’t be there._

“What is it?” From his position Jack couldn’t make out the word or the, _oh heaven_ , the image.

“I—” Emotion – unexpected and long buried – rose up and choked his throat. The wall blurred and swam as his eyes filled with tears.

“Daniel?” Jack knelt by him, and squeezed his hand.

“It’s a name, Jack. And a drawing. Of her.”

“Who?”

“Sha’re.”


	2. Ascending love

Jack twisted around to stare at the wall, but his hand never left Daniel’s. With every passing moment, the slanting sun brought the carving into sharper relief. His only comment was a low whistle. By the time he turned back, Daniel had regained some of his composure.

“She couldn’t have been here,” Daniel said in a strangled voice.

“You think she was?” Jack asked.

“You don’t?”

“I don’t know what to think.”

“Me neither.”

“But it’s one possibility.”

 _“How?”_ Daniel heard his voice rise plaintively.

“Well…” Jack groped for answers. “If it was Sha’re, somehow, do you think she’d draw a picture of herself?”

“Maybe.”

“And write her name? In English?”

Daniel slid a glance over Jack’s shoulder. “It is in English.”

“I’m guessing it’s different in Abydonian.”

“Yes. I taught her to write in both languages.”

“Okay. So, it might have been her.”

“Or?” He needed to know. If she’d been here and he hadn’t known, if they had only dialled this address sooner…

Jack sat down beside him. “Two things strike me as odd.”

“Only two?”

“One: if you’re stuck here, away from your loved ones, wouldn’t you draw a picture of _them_ , to remind yourself of their faces? Rather than your own?”

Anger flashed through Daniel. “If you’re trying to say someone else loved her—”

“Aht! All I’m saying is if Sha’re was here she might have drawn a picture of you.”

Daniel subsided.

“The other odd thing,” Jack continued, “is why draw it down there? You’ve got the whole wall to use, why not up there where you can see it better?”

“Maybe you don’t want to deface the dome too much.”

“Or maybe you can’t reach.”

Daniel stared blankly at him.

Jack sighed. “My—Charlie, when he was little, used to love drawing with crayons. If he ran out of paper, he’d carry over to the walls.”

“Oh.” Realisation seeped through Daniel, and suddenly he felt very foolish. “Sorry for the… overreacting there.”

“Hey, don’t apologise. This is the last thing you expected to see.”

“So, it must have been…”

“Shifu,” they said together.

 

Daniel rubbed his eyes and shifted mental gears. “Why would Shifu have been here?”

“Well, we’ve got an Ancient city, packed full of Ancienty stuff. Oma went somewhere after Kheb, I guess she came here, used it as a crèche or something.”

“A kindergarten?”

“Early learning centre.”

Daniel pulled a thoughtful face. “Actually, that’s not as dumb as it sounds.”

“Why, thank you.”

“No, I mean, when we saw Shifu on Abydos, he was mortal, he walked and talked like us.”

“Even if some of us couldn’t make heads or tails out of what he said.”

“So, he had to learn that, didn’t he?” Daniel ploughed on. “I always assumed Oma ascended him on Kheb, but what if she didn’t? What if she had to let him grow up—”

“Very, very quickly.”

“At an accelerated rate, yes, but as a human until he reached adulthood.”

“You mean kids can’t grow up if they’re all glowy?”

“I have no idea, Jack. But it kind of fits. And maybe she showed him his mother’s face and name while they were here.”

“Wow.”

“Wow.”

“I’m hungry.”

“I have to go through the personal histories recorded here. If Oma was an original resident here, it makes sense she’d come back when she needed a safe haven.” Daniel scrambled up and began hunting around the pillars.

“It’s late. We’ll start fresh in the morning.”

“You go on. I’ll be with you in a minute.”

“And we all know how long your minutes are. Tomorrow, Daniel.” The soft plea in Jack’s voice brought Daniel up short.

Reluctantly he gave in. He stole a final glance at Sha’re, her face glowing in the violet setting sun, and headed down the stairs.

 

 

Over the next three weeks Jack nurtured a whole new appreciation for Daniel’s ability to devote his full concentration to one subject, and not once be discouraged or defeated by the total lack of results. The personal histories numbered in the thousands and were not sorted by any logical means that either of them could discern. All they could do was page through entry after entry, check the portrait on each and move on to the next.

Daniel snuck a look at Jack – sitting on one of the chairs they had dragged up three flights of stairs – legs either side of the pillar he was reading. His presence was like a foundation stone to Daniel's entire world. His eyes closed for a moment of gratitude.

Switching his attention back to his own pillar he glanced at the elderly woman on the display. He resisted the temptation to take a peek; the wealth of experiences gathered in these biographies, everything from world-destroying events to the minutiae of daily life, was like a siren song, beckoning him in to explore. But, he moved on, knowing that if he weakened he would quickly founder in the vast breadth of their stories.

Next. He found himself staring at the younger but wholly recognisable face of the man who had become the Doci of the Ori. _Might come back to you later._

Next. Next. Next… _There!_ Her face leapt out at him and he actually flinched. “Jack.” He waved a hand at him, unable to look away.

“You got it?” Jack was beside him in a flash. “Well, c’mon. Let’s see it.”

Daniel flicked a finger over the console and a stream of light flew up into the air. It resolved into an image of a young woman, very serene and at peace with herself.

“That’s what she looks like?” Jack settled next to him, one hand absently resting on Daniel’s leg.

“Uh, yeah, well… that’s what she looked like on Kheb. Later when she showed herself to me she looked more mature.”

“Guess she recorded this early in her life.”

“Yeah.” Daniel hesitated over the play button. After all this time he wasn’t sure what to expect.”

“Play it, already.”

“All right, all right.” He tapped _play._

 _“I am Oma Desala,”_ said the image.

There was a long beat of silence.

Daniel looked at Jack out of the corner of his eye and found him staring back.

“And? So? Therefore?” Jack stood up and stared expectantly at the life-size hologram.

Daniel frowned at the controls. Everything looked okay. He tapped _play_ again.

 _“I am Oma Desala.”_

“Oh, for the love of… We can’t have spent all this time just for that.” Jack stared down at Daniel, daring him to produce something better.

“It can’t be all there is. The other ones looked like they went on for hours.” He pressed the control again.

 _“I am Oma Desala. M—”_

“Wait, there was another word there.”

“Yes, there was.” He played it again and got the same result. “It’s been cut.” Outrage filled him. “Someone has deleted Oma’s story.”

“That sounds like those Others you’ve told me about.”

“Jeez, Jack—how could they?”

“She must have said something pretty out there to make them do it.”

Daniel bowed his head, tried to contain the fury he felt on Oma’s behalf. Her only record of her life and work, wiped out by someone else’s jealousies. _I’m sorry._

His clenched fist, resting on the control, tingled warmly.

 _“My work is too important to allow it to be…”_

“Whoa! What did you do?” Jack jumped back as the image came to life.

“Nothing!” Daniel stood up, and the image faded away.

“Well you must have done something. Touch it again.”

Daniel considered the pillar. Gingerly, he brushed his hand over the controls. The frozen image of Oma came alive again.

 _“… too important to allow it to be erased. The High Council will doubtless remove my words, but if I am correct, if my work is validated, there will be those who, in the future, shall possess the ability to access this information.”_

Daniel half expected her eyes to shift focus and meet his, but she continued to gaze between them.

“Does that mean this is only playing because _you_ turned it on?” Jack asked in a hoarse whisper.

“I’m not sure. I didn’t do anything special.”

Jack gave him an exasperated look. “Maybe it’s not the doing, it’s the _being_.”

“What are you talking about? And why are you whispering?”

“I… don’t want to make her mad,” Jack sniped back. “Daniel, does it ever occur to you that you are somewhat ‘special’ amongst us humans? Maybe this is reacting to _you_.”

“Wha—don’t be absurd.” Daniel screwed up his face at Jack. “Just… shut up and listen.”

Jack smirked, as if he’d won a point, and gave Oma his full attention.

 _“… restored this history in the hopes that another will one day travel the path I have laid._

 _“I have always believed that the path to ascension should be open to all, not confined behind specious walls of elitism. Sentient beings of all races possess the inner strength to achieve at least one of the planes of ascension.”_

“There’s more than one?” Jack stared incredulously at Daniel.

“Don’t ask me,” he muttered.

 _“The others of my race,”_ continued Oma, _“refused to acknowledge the importance of these planes. Instead they view them only as stepping stones in the process of separation of the spiritual from the physical, and that once this is achieved there is no possibility of returning to the mortal form.”_

“But…”

“Um…”

 _“For millennia I have studied the species in our universe. Many times I witnessed one or another achieve a connection with the first or second lower plane. When we encountered the human race, I knew they had the potential to remove themselves from the physical and enter the Akashic realm._

 _“I was as excited by this discovery as the Others were alarmed. They refused to see the potential within humans, the great deeds they are capable of, the unbounded opportunities for good if they were raised up from the mortal plane. The Others believe that if a being cannot reach ascension on their own, they are not worthy, and deserve to be forever denied.”_ Oma’s reserve finally cracked. Her face twisted with annoyance.

 _“The Others refuse to acknowledge that this is the same attitude that doomed the Furlings. I continued my work, alone. Many times I found a candidate I hoped would be the one to take that first step into the Akashic plane. Once, I believed I had succeeded. My student showed such capacity for love; he raised himself into the Akashic…”_ She broke off, distress marring her features.

 _“But he held such deception in his heart. He attempted to ascend to the highest plane. Had he succeeded, he would have caused unspeakable harm. I have stopped him, for now.”_ She sighed. _“That is the past. We must look to that which is before us. I still believe the Akashic plane must be open to all who can attain it. I have met another human. He is young, but holds such love in his soul, such ability for great deeds._

 _“I know that if anyone will bear witness to my story, it will be you, Daniel. Have faith in your love, and do not be afraid.”_

 

An hour later, Daniel had mostly recovered from hearing Oma’s words. Stunned and bewildered, he had allowed Jack to lead him out of the dome room, ate the meal –whatever it was – Jack had made, and indulged in a long embrace under the pounding hot shower. Now, he lay on his stomach on their bed, head resting on one palm, revising everything they had learnt.

“Skipping over the whole ‘other’ other plane of existence,” Jack finally said, “when did she record that? I thought she’d done it the same time as the rest of them, but she knew you.”

“You’re saying she knew she’d meet me—millennia ago?”

Jack grimaced. “Bit of a stretch?”

“Just a bit.” Daniel idly twirled his fingers in Jack’s chest hair. “I think she came here after Kheb. She brought Shifu here to grow up, and recorded the message then. What I’m wondering is how did she know I’d find it?”

“Well, you made quite an impression on her when you first met. I’m guessing the lady has good intuition.”

“She thought I could reach the Akashic plane on my own. She must have been so disappointed in me.” His hand slid down to Jack’s lap when Jack abruptly sat up.

“How the hell can you say that?”

“Well, she thought I was capable of great things, but she had to come and ascend me herself. Twice. Not quite what she’d been planning.”

Jack’s hand landed on his head. He scrunched Daniel’s hair into tussocks before laying down again. Daniel circled patterns in his pubic hair until Jack caught his hand and held it. “What is the Akashic plane, anyway?”

“I’ve been thinking about that. If there is any correlation with beliefs on Earth, say the Tao for instance, there are a number of planes of existence, with the lowest being the physical and the highest where you exist only as energy. I think the Akashic is the halfway point.

“Neither one or the other?”

“Or, perhaps a combination of ascended and mortal?”

“Halfway up and halfway down the stairs.”

“Something like that. I can imagine that would be an easier state to attain than full ascension.”

“Why am I not surprised those ‘Others’ don’t want the rabble crashing the party?” Jack wriggled down and wrapped his arms around Daniel.

Daniel pressed a kiss into the hollow at Jack’s throat. “I’m wondering what happened to the Furlings. I wish I could ask Oma.”

“Forget them. If they were as exclusionist as the ascended Ancients, we’re better off without them.”

He rolled Daniel under him and caught his mouth in a lingering kiss. Daniel ran his hands along Jack’s lean sides, savouring the strength underneath that soft skin. He kissed him back with equal fervour, realising – in a surprise moment of insight – that they were equals – and had been for many years. Both protector and protected, their unique skills and experiences made them two parts of an extraordinary whole.

“Did you ever wonder why Oma thought I was worthy of ascension, even though I don’t have the Ancient gene?”

Jack tumbled them onto their sides, their legs tangling and teasing. “No. Genes don’t play any part in a person’s soul,” he breathed into Daniel’s ear.

“Exactly.”

“Huh?” Jack eased Daniel onto his back.

Daniel studied Jack’s face as he hovered above him. He caressed Jack’s cheek and smiled when Jack pressed a kiss into his palm. He pulled his legs up, planted his feet either side of Jack’s thighs: inviting him in. Jack slid home and they lay in each other’s embrace, united in body.

“What would you do if you ever confronted Anubis?” he asked, arching his neck to allow better access to his ear lobes.

Jack gnawed gently for a moment, then blew in his ear. “Kick his half-descended butt back to Ancient Egypt. Bastard made me shoot you.” Jack kissed the scar on Daniel’s upper arm. “And for what he did on Abydos…”

“Yeah. It’s hard to think of a suitable punishment for that.”

“Put him in a little box and shoot him into space. One he can’t float out of.” Jack trailed kisses across Daniel’s chest, teeth worrying sensitive nipples.

“I can’t bear to think of Oma, out there, forever locked in combat with him.” He grunted with pleasure as Jack made a single thrust inside him.

“All those Others just sat back and let her take him on? Didn’t help out at all?”

“Yes.” Bitter grief for his mentor filled Daniel. “She did so much for me, Jack. Gave me everything.” He traced his fingers over Jack’s face.

“Kinda makes you wonder if those ‘Others’ really deserve ascension.”

An idea was forming in Daniel’s mind, almost too terrifying to contemplate, too exhilarating to ignore. His heart quickened. “I think Oma was right. I think access to the higher planes should not be dictated by those who are already there. If sentient beings aren’t allowed to evolve, then something very precious, maybe even vital, will be lost and those who have already taken the step will stagnate, become corrupt…”

Jack slid into him again, setting a slow, rhythmic pace. “So you think this Akashic plane of Oma’s really exists?”

“It has to. I’m sure Shifu was there, even if only temporarily.” Daniel gasped for air as pleasure swept his body. His mind was alight; the room seemed too bright. A silver aura crowned Jack’s hair. Jack moved in a steadily increasing tempo and freed the ideas that spilled from Daniel’s mouth.

“Jack, I think we can go there. Oma believed I could attain the Akashic plane. She had faith in me and she knew I would never survive in the higher plane. Uhhh… we can go there, Jack, you and I, we can somehow reach the middle plane. Think about it—mortal and ascended, the best of both sides of existence… nnhhh…”

“I do believe I’ve already expressed my opinions on this matter,” Jack observed with a detached calm.

“It’s different this time. Before, you were filled with anger, you needed revenge and that blocked the possibility of anything else. Now, your soul is shining with love. You’re on fire. The whole universe is open to you.”

They reached for each other, fingers entwined, hands clasped; the motion of their joined bodies felt like they were riding the air currents that supported the entire city.

“You’re sure we’re not going to die?” Jack whispered, kissing him tenderly.

Daniel rode the crest of a pre-orgasmic shudder. “Yes. Well, mostly certain.”

“What a way to go though.”

Daniel laughed: actually pressed his head back into the pillows and laughed like he’d never laughed in his life. “Oh, Jack. Come with me…”

“You think I will ever again let you go anywhere without me?”

Jack gathered Daniel to him. Whispers of love filled his senses as Jack brought them both to an inexorable climax.

Daniel lost focus: the bed underneath, the roof above, the sigh of air around their bodies; everything vanished. There was only Jack, above, beside, inside his heart, inside his soul.

 

 

They floated:

timeless,

    placeless,

needing nothing but each other.

 

“Daniel? What just happened?” Jack naturally broke the mood and brought him back to earth.

Only… there was a distinct lack of that, or any other earthly substance.

“Um, not sure.”

“We didn’t just…?”

“I think we may have.”

“I’m sure Oma didn’t intend…”

“No, no, but, you know…”

“Go with what you’ve got?”

“Where’s there’s a will there’s a way?”

“Is it real?”

“Yes, this—this is real, as real as anything we can comprehend.”

“Sweet.” Jack was beside him. Hand in hand they moved through the murky white light.

Shadows appeared in the distance, resolved into the shape of a person, coming toward them.

“Danyer? O’Near?”

 _“Skaara?”_

“It is good to see you again. Why are you both naked?”


End file.
